Saturday, December 17, 2005

The long Journey

I went for a long car ride today. The humies went to Victoria Park and took me for a long walk, it was quite warm and we had to stop for a drink several times. I was so tired I fell asleep on the way home.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Resting on my new rug

Graduation

I unfortunately got a little too excited and embarrassed myself though. Soon it was cleaned up and I got to play.

It was great to see my puppy friends again and I had great fun running about with them. I’m no longer overly cautious with other dogs, I’m happy to meet them and enjoy their company.

The time came for our test. I had to come, sit, lie down, and stay. I performed it all wonderfully and it was all over before I knew. All the humans clapped and I felt really proud. I received my graduation certificate and a few presents.

I can highly recommend puppy school, even if only for the socialisation. There was a shaky beginning but it all worked out really well in the end. It was well worth the money $60 (AUD) and we got at least that in freebies.

New Rug

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Loose Leash Training

This is probably one of the most difficult things I've had to learn. You see, the world is a really exciting place for a puppy, even the most mundane objects to human eyes are of great interest to puppies. I pull on the lead a lot when there is something of interest and a park is jam packed with interest. Hell, even the front garden is packed with fun.

So, I've had to got back to basic training in the rear garden but I'm getting the hang of it and leash training involves lots of very yummy treats.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Friends in the Park

Positive Reinforcement *click*

Positive Reinforcement is the preferred method for training puppies, or at least that's my Mum and Dad's opinion. One of the methods of delivering this kind of training is to use clickers. A clicker is a small device that makes a click noise when you push the button. After you click you follow it up with praise or a treat.

I have recently been introduced to Clicker Training and I must say I'm very fond of it. It works very simply. When I hear a click it means that I've just done something good and a treat is on it's way.

The clicker means Mum and Dad can 'capture' my behaviours in an instant. Dad taught me to shake hands in about 10 minutes. Once I'm doing the behaviour Mum and Dad associate a word or short phrase with it. So far I know Sit, Lay down, Stay, Shake, On Your Rug and Come.

Use of this training method also means I get more treats, so I'm not complaining. You can read more about Clicker Training at Karen Pryor's site or at ClickerSolutions.

About Me

I'm Kaylee, a young English Cocker Spaniel. This is a blog of my life as I grow, learn and discover the world. I live with my Mum and Dad, two strange doggie types that walk around on their hind legs doing strange things. They feed me, are kind to me and help me learn.